- LINKS, GIS DATA, AND INFORMATION
- MELANESIA
- Links
- Shapefiles
- GRID format
- GeoTIFFs
- Papers
- Presentations
- Maps
Climate Change and Biodiversity in Melanesia (CCBM): Assessing Vulnerability of Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems to Projected Climate Change
Project Summary
There were three main component activities to the CCBM:
- Component One: Assessed the current scientific understanding of the impacts of climate change and other biogeochemical processes (e.g. ocean acidification) on island and marine ecosystems in Melanesia. The objective was to facilitate and document the best state-of-the-science consensus on the implications of these anthropogenic processes on current and future conservation strategies, planning, and policies. Lead Institution: Bishop Museum.
- Component Two: Assessed the institutional and socioeconomic adaptive capacity of Melanesian countries to effectively respond to climate change impacts including legislation, policies and capacity assessment. Lead Institution: SPREP.
- Component Three: Developed an integrated assessment of the vulnerability of Melanesia’s biodiversity to climate change, based on Components One and Two. Lead Institutions: Bishop Museum and SPREP.
For the purposes of this study, Melanesia includes Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua. Bishop Museum’s assessment in Component One included an extensive review of the current scientific understanding of how climate change will affect Melanesia’s terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The information and data collated from literature reviews, data gathering, digital maps, satellite imagery and consultations with experts was compiled into an Environmental Information System (EIS) accessible via the Internet for use by conservation, research, and management groups. A multidisciplinary expert workshop was held in September 2007 in Hawai’i to assess the best scientific understanding of climate change impacts on Melanesia. This workshop resulted in the series of White Papers that summarize current knowledge and are available on this website.
All information, data, expert advice and white papers were synthesized into a Consensus Report. A draft version of this report was also prepared and presented in at the 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in Alotau, Papua New Guinea in October 2007. Researchers, managers and stakeholders attending the conference were encouraged to provide feedback, additional information and recommendations. This input was incorporated into the report. This Consensus Report details current scientific understanding and projections of how climate change will impact the region’s development and conservation efforts, specifies where additional research is needed, and list suggestions for adapting conservation efforts to future projected climate changes.
Component Two assessed the institutional and socio-economic capacity in Melanesia to adapt resource management practices, programs, policies and legislation to mitigate the impacts of climate change. In order to perform this assessment SPREP documented all current management policies and programs, and identified impediments to and opportunities for successful biodiversity conservation and management in the face of projected climate warming and related effects. In additionally, the study evaluated the consequences of climate change on two important economic sectors, coastal fisheries and tourism, and examined how conservation practices can be used to assess the impacts of climate change on those sectors.
After completing the two component assessments, Bishop, SPREP, and partners integrated the two reviews into a Final Integrated Vulnerability Assessment Report, including a set of recommendations for policymakers and managers in developing and implementing development and conservation strategies that reflect an appropriate and robust understanding of expected climate change. The final assessment will be incorporated into future revisions of the Action Strategy for Nature Conservation, the Pacific Islands Framework for Climate Change and other conservation plans and strategies. This report will also be used to develop a range of communication products for a variety of audiences in Melanesia and beyond.
The final results and products of CCBM will be provided free of charge to conservationists and resource managers in Melanesia. This will provide critical information and tools needed to develop conservation approaches that can successfully address the influence of climate change on biodiversity and social welfare. Additionally, the products will supply the MacArthur Foundation and other grant-making organizations with information they need to determine which proposals have the potential to effectively address the impacts of climate change and merit funding. Efforts like this assessment are an essential step in ensuring that conservation and sustainable development efforts succeed in tomorrow’s climate.
